The value of a tweet is commonly measured by the number of times it is shared or retweeted. But, say, a user passes of a joke that isn't theirs, Twitter will be on their case, removing the stolen joke.
Examples of Twitter at work protecting joke copyright was first spotted by user @PlagiarismBad, showing several separate tweets have been deleted to protect one from Olga Lexell, a freelance writer from Los Angeles. Many were quick to point out that this isn't the first time that Twitter has sprung into action to protect copyrights but it may be the first example of a joke receiving copyright protection.
Lexell confirmed in a tweet that she did request Twitter to take down copies of her tweets that were reposted without her permission or don't give her credit. She said she simply explained that she's a freelance writer, meaning she makes a living out of writing. Specifically, she's into writing jokes and said that she uses some tweets to test them out.
Lexel's tweets are now protected but she has changed her Twitter bio (@runolgarun) to reflect that she was the "writer who brought up a point about intellectual property."
Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Twitter has safe haven from copyright claims as long as the social network doesn't protect material that infringes on DMCA terms. Typically, Twitter works to address claims involving tweets with videos and photos or those linking to illegally hosted works with copyrights.
All copyright claims submitted to Twitter are assessed by its staffers to determine which ones are valid. Once a request is addressed, the offending tweet is then deleted or removed. However, Twitter gives the owner of the offending tweet to file a counter notice within 10 days. Anyone interested in checking out DMCA requests that the social network has have had to address can go over the website Chilling Effects.
Copyright laws in the U.S. typically don't cover short phrases as that is more the territory of trademark protection. This means copyright protection for 140 characters may be a bit of a stretch for traditional copyright law, although Twitter enforces its own rules on its own platform.
